The planned opening of the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas this fall may be delayed, ownership of the off-Strip resort said Friday.
In a press release announcing the project had met its construction deadlines, JC Hospitality said it was reconsidering the timeline for the reopening of the reconfigured Hard Rock Las Vegas.
“Due to current COVID-19 regulations, market conditions and recent event and convention cancellations, the ownership group is carefully evaluating the previously announced Fall 2020 opening date,” JC Hospitality CEO Richard “Boz” Bosworth said in a statement. “The ownership group expects to have a date identified by mid-September at which time we will provide full details.”
Bosworth said construction of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas “remains on schedule and the operations team is expected to receive the keys to the property in early November.”
JC Hospitality is overseeing the hotel and non-gaming aspects of the 1,500-room resort.
Renovation of the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas casino is seen in July 2020/Courtesy photo
Investors in the project include British billionaire Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. JC Hospitality the Hard Rock Hotel in 2018 for a reported $500 million and announced plans to turn it into a Virgin-branded resort. Bosworth has been quoted as placing a more than $200 million price tag on the renovation.
The Hard Rock was closed in February for the renovation.
Last fall, Mohegan Gaming – the casino arm of Connecticut’s Mohegan Indian Tribe – announced a deal to operate the 60,000 square-foot casino at the property, becoming the first tribal gaming company to manage a resort in the nation’s largest commercial gambling market.
The casino will be known as Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Longtime gaming executive Joe Hasson will be the general manager of the casino.
Betfred USA Sports, the American subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Betfred Group, will manage sports betting at the property.
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas will include Nobu and MB Steak. Both restaurants were part of the Hard Rock Las Vegas line-up.
The renovation will include a remake of the 60,000-square-foot casino space, add new restaurants, lounges and bars, and a renovation of the 130,000-square-foot convention and meeting space.
The 5-acre pool and outdoor space will include The Event Lawn, a 13,000 square foot outdoor entertainment space for concerts, private parties, and events.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
